Makati mayor asks PNoy for more cops, soldiers to secure city

A day after a bus bombing killed at least five people in Makati City, Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. on Wednesday asked President Benigno Aquino III for more police and military forces to secure his turf. Binay particularly sought members of the Philippine National Police's elite Special Action Force (SAF) and augmentation forces from the military sent to the city. He also declared Friday a day of mourning in Makati, where he and city officials will light candles at the blast site, and say a silent prayer for peace in the country. "(Deploying additional policemen and augmentation military forces) will also send the message to both residents and foreign investors that Makati is a secure place for business," he said in a news release posted on the Makati City web portal. Binay made the call at a lunch meeting with the Makati Business Development Council (MBDC), composed of officers of the foreign chambers of commerce and major business associations in Makati. Bus blast On Tuesday, an improvised explosive device ripped through a Newman Goldliner air-conditioned bus at the corner of Epifanio delos Santos Avenue and Buendia Avenue, killing five people as of Wednesday. The incident prompted tighter security at airports, seaports and rail systems. Police also tightened security in vital installations including government offices, oil depots, and the tourist and university belts. In making his appeal, Binay said the deployment of additional policemen and augmentation forces will contribute greatly in further ensuring peace and order in Makati. He said Makati only has 538 policemen tasked to ensure peace and order in the country’s financial center, which has an extremely high daytime population of over three million. Makati City hosts the headquarters of major corporations, banks and financial institutions, embassies as well as malls and hotels. "While the ideal ratio is 1:500, or one policeman for every 500 individuals, the police to population ratio in Makati stands at 1:6,752 during daytime, or one policeman for every 6,752 individuals," he said. Also, he noted the request for additional personnel in Makati was first made when his father, now Vice President Jejomar Binay, was Makati mayor. "His request, which we now respectfully reiterate to the President, is premised on the need to provide better police visibility particularly in the Central Business District, in order to assure investors," he said. Binay also said the Makati Police Department has performed well despite the challenges that they face, and the deployment of additional policemen and augmentation forces "will contribute greatly in further ensuring peace and order in Makati." Not the first time Should President Aquino grant Makati’s request for augmentation forces, Binay said it will not be the first time that personnel from the military and the Special Action Force will be deployed to Makati. He said following the rash of bank robberies in the CBD in 2003, the PNP deployed members of the SAF in Makati. "Their presence served as a deterrent to crime and assured residents and foreign investors alike that they are secure in Makati," he said. — RSJ, GMANews.TV